German shepherd is a breed of dog that can serve, to be a watchman, companion, guide. Similar versatility due to the fact that these dogs are easy to learn, unpretentious in content, restrained and insightful. This breed is already not one decade is particularly popular and love, and many people dream of having a German shepherd. And if a dream carried out, the owners of these excellent dogs are starting interest in pressing issues, for example, how to feed the German a shepherd dog?
Content
- 1. How to feed a shepherd with ready-made dry food
- 2. Natural products for feeding a thoroughbred pet
- 3. How to feed a German shepherd puppy
- 4. Basic rules for feeding a pet
How to feed a shepherd with prepared dry food
Contents
Dog owners may have questions about nutrition, as German shepherd is a large animal, requiring sufficient the amount of food.
As with other dogs, there are two options for this. – natural food or dry prepared food. Specialists in breeding could already determine what is better and more convenient for the pet for the owner – this is dry food. This type of food has certain advantages:
- finished food can be stored for a long time;
- food is convenient to take with you on the road, even a long one;
- a pet, even a large one, needs a small amount of feed at one time.
There are several types of feed that you can use. for feeding. And what kind of food does the German Shepherd choose to feed? each independently:
- Feed economy category. The basis is offal, they also have a high content of low-quality fiber. Feed this class is often unbalanced, in its composition may missing important vitamins and minerals. Due to low food Values of his expense increases significantly.
- Premium category. Higher quality food includes in itself both meat and vegetable components. His energy value is higher, so the daily rate is much less than the economical option.
- Super premium or Holistic. For its preparation are taken products of the highest quality – meat, cereals, cereals. Food has high nutritional value, nutritional value and is quite high price. Veterinary experts believe that this is the most suitable for feeding a four-legged friend. To get it can only be in specialized pharmacies and stores.
If the owners of the German Shepherd choose as food for dry pet food, then they must take care that the dog received only the necessary amount of food and consumed a sufficient amount of water, which they are deprived of.
It is worth knowing that some manufacturers indicate a higher food grade, although it does not comply with existing standards and norms, so you need to purchase food only proven brands with positive recommendations from large dog breeders.
However, some veterinarians still believe that for German shepherd dogs best suited natural, well balanced ration.
Natural products for feeding a thoroughbred pet
This kind of food is really considered healthy, despite the fact that that a lot of time will be spent on its preparation. Not it is a secret that dogs do not need food diversity but while their food should contain all the necessary, vital elements.
A third of the diet of a German shepherd should consist of meat – source of animal protein. It’s best to give the pet raw cut into small pieces, but can be replaced with boiled. But from it is better to refuse forcemeat as it differs in poor digestibility. You need to choose lean types of meat – beef, horse meat, lean lamb. Pork is not recommended and is even located in some degrees prohibited.
Offal is quite acceptable in the diet – beef liver, heart, stomachs, lung, but you can give them only boiled.
You can offer bones to a German shepherd, even puppies are shown sugar bones. They help train the jaw muscles and also prevent the formation of plaque. Only they must Be sure to be raw, as boiled bones can provoke the animal has constipation. Do not give the pet a tubular bone, as it can lead to perforation of the stomach.
Dogs get a large amount of nutrients from fish. Her nutritional value is much lower than meat products, as a result of this a single serving of fish should be at least 1.5 times more. No need to give her pet daily, enough once or twice a week. Puppies clean fish from bones, but adult pets may consume the product with them. Nautical it is recommended to give the type of fish raw, but it is better to expose the river heat treatment, as it is often a carrier parasites.
A host of times a week with a German shepherd, the owner can cook hard boiled eggs or yolks, but raw. Raw egg whites dogs are not digested by the digestive system.
Dogs of this breed are recommended to include dairy products – kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt can make up the third part whole food. Whole milk is given only to puppies, the body of an adult the animal does not absorb it well.
The daily pet menu includes cereals, but in a small quantity. It can be rice, buckwheat, millet, oat porridge. It is not recommended to feed the puppy with bread, especially fresh white. For dogs, crackers made of gray or rye flour are best.
Many representatives of this breed eat fruits and vegetables well. It is better to give them raw, in crushed form. Suitable for feeding carrots, pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, beets. In the dishes of the dog you can add finely chopped greens as an additional source vitamins.
Fruits for the German Shepherd should be a special treat. So that all the beneficial substances contained in them are better absorbed, you can add sour cream or vegetable to chopped fruits (sunflower, olive, sesame) oil.
Organic food involves adding to diet of special vitamin supplements. Picks them up for a pet veterinarian.
How to feed a German shepherd puppy
Like other breeds, German shepherds have puppy age is the most important life period. This time intensive growth, maximum weight gain, development of the skeleton and musculature. Therefore, it is very important to make the correct balanced diet and understand how to feed a German puppy shepherd dogs.
Experts have identified the most successful nutritional scheme:
- From the 1st month to the 2nd – six meals a day, one glass of food per day.
- Up to three months of age – five meals, only one and a half glasses.
- Up to six months – four meals a day, 1 liter of food in a day.
- From 6 months to a year – three meals a day, 0.5 liters per one reception.
A one-year-old pet is considered an adult and is translated into two meals a day. If you give the puppy a big three-four month old amount of food, then by the year your pet will develop obesity. And this adversely affect the health of the dog, especially development musculoskeletal system. Therefore, an increase in food should come from foods that are high in protein and how can less fat and carbohydrates.
In addition, you need to take care that the puppy does not receive food too much calcium. German Shepherd organism responds to excess calcium with various mutational changes and problems with health in the future.
Basic rules for feeding a pet
In this case, you must follow the general rules for feeding large dogs:
- Meals should be regular. Food is given to the pet in one and the same the same time, 15-20 minutes. All that after time has remained in bowl, this is excess food. It is worth considering that German shepherds have the stomach is small, so eating a lot food can lead to intestinal inversion and even in some cases to death.
- How many times to feed a German shepherd? The best option is two meals a day, morning and evening.
- Do not give cold or hot dishes. Food should be warm.
- The dog should be provided with fresh water.
- It is necessary to provide the pet with a special stand under bowls. It should be at the level of the sternum of the pet and contribute to the normal development of musculoskeletal apparatus.
- The feed should have a thick consistency. The dog has a stomach in such a way that it does not absorb liquid food well, therefore, than the thicker the better.
It is better to remove the following products from the diet of the German Shepherd:
- all flour (including pasta);
- potatoes;
- peas, beans, lentils;
- confectionery, especially chocolate;
- sausage products, smoked meats.
It is not recommended to give dogs salty, pickled products, and also spiced with spices. Just stick to one thing. type of nutrition, since some are involved in the digestion of dry feed enzymes, and for the assimilation of natural foods are completely different. From the right food, balanced diet depends pet health and life expectancy.
